


The Holidays

by Onmyliteraturebullshitagain



Series: And They Were Neighbors (oh my god they were neighbors) [9]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, Holidays, Idk guys the boys are cute around the holidays and that's it, M/M, Midwest Bi Disaster Zukka, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Winter, zukka - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:06:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28373613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Onmyliteraturebullshitagain/pseuds/Onmyliteraturebullshitagain
Summary: With their relationship somewhat newly solidified, Sokka and Zuko decide to spend their first winter holiday celebrations with both families and all that entails.Midwest Bi Disaster Zukka established relationship - can probably be read as a stand-alone if you just want some fluffy winter-y Zukka
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: And They Were Neighbors (oh my god they were neighbors) [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1968508
Comments: 115
Kudos: 354





	The Holidays

**Author's Note:**

> Huge shoutout to mists_of_avalon for inspiration and help with this story! The idea for the cabin and the sleigh scene were all from her :) I just took the suggestions and ran! Also, if anyone knows how to actually tag people, please explain it to me because I, very much, do not, and I'd definitely like to!
> 
> This is also a slightly different style, a bit more general/sweeping and less specific, so hopefully it still works and fits into the rest of the series.
> 
> Also PLEASE check out the art of Zuko doing his cat yoga by @guiltyportfolio on tumblr: [Zuko's Cat Yoga](https://onmyliteraturebullshitagain.tumblr.com/post/641129380139220992/i-am-seriously-going-to-cry-over-how-incredible)

\- Preface -

"So what are you doing for Christmas--or whatever nondenominational winter holiday you might be celebrating?" Sokka asked as he sprawled on Zuko's couch and watched him, inexplicably, do yoga on his living room floor with the cats. It wasn't entirely clear, though, if the cats were helping or hindering as Zuko flowed into another chaturanga and took a slow breath. Dragon was just rubbing himself against Zuko's arms and occasionally his face while Lucky was near his feet and batting at them when given the opportunity.

"Christmas is fine," Zuko said, exhaling slowly as he bent down into a kind of push-up position that really showed off his arms to Sokka's advantage. "It's not a huge thing with us because as a kid it was all about appearances and now…" He inhaled and flowed again before continuing. "Now it's just an excuse for dinner and gifts with Uncle and Azula at some point. Nothing crazy." He shifted his weight forward and stretched his back. "You?"

"Normally there's two Christmases with the family," Sokka replied, "the giant one and the intimate family one, but, eh... I don't know."

"What's not to know?" Zuko asked, shaking the hair from his face as he shifted his weight and then flattened into a plank again.

Dragon took that moment to circle around to Zuko's side and hop up onto his back. Almost synchronized, man and cat arched their backs and changed positions. Then Dragon shifted around and curled up just under Zuko's shoulder blades. 

"Still can't believe you do _yoga_ ," Sokka grunted, watching the pair.

"It's _relaxing_ ," Zuko replied, and then immediately yelped and kicked at Lucky, who'd taken that moment to snag his claws right into Zuko's foot. 

"Yeah, looks super relaxing," Sokka replied, holding in a laugh as Lucky yowled and dodged and then resumed his lurking and batting. Dragon, for his part, was just balancing and riding along as Zuko avoided the other cat. "You need some help there?"

"Grab Lucky, will you?" Zuko asked, avoiding another swipe, and Sokka chuckled but obliged.

Lucky, of course, took this as a personal offense and yowled again, but Sokka returned to the couch with the cat in his lap. He still couldn't really tell the pair apart, so thankfully Zuko had gotten Lucky his own collar, in bright blue to contrast Dragon’s black, which made the pair slightly easier to differentiate. Of course, you could also guess it was Lucky if one cat was hiding under furniture and swiping at feet or acting like he was being tortured if you tried to give him attention. The two cats themselves at least got along well enough, even if they were noisy about it, and could often be found curled up together at the top of the cat tree while Dragon aggressively groomed Lucky's head and Lucky lashed his tail and whined but didn't move away. 

Sokka mussed up the fur around Lucky's neck a bit, which made the cat glare at him, and then shifted his attention back to Zuko and Dragon, doing their bizarre yoga sequence on the floor like some very odd partner dance. Dragon was surprisingly adept at staying on while Zuko moved through the motions, and Zuko seemed very unconcerned by the addition of more than ten pounds of cat. 

Zuko did one final exhale and then plopped down on his belly on the floor. Dragon meowed at him and then started making biscuits into his upper back, and Sokka couldn't hold in his laugh. 

"Post workout massage?" he teased, and Zuko tipped his head at him, still not moving from the floor.

"Why do I think I let him climb up there?" he said, propping his cheek on his hand. "But really, what's different about the winter holiday this year?"

Sokka rubbed Lucky's ear and considered how to say it. 

"Well," he finally decided, "you are."

Zuko cocked an eyebrow at him. "What about me?"

What about him indeed? Things had been different between them since everything with Zuko's family and them saying 'I love you' and all the intense trauma sharing and bonding. Good different for sure, but still. They hadn't really had to return to a night like that again, which thank god, but that didn't change the fact that Sokka still occasionally looked at Zuko doing something Zuko-ish--driving like a bat out of hell, making snarky comments at the TV, bringing Sokka coffee while he worked at his desk--and thought "that's the person I love right there." Which was still sort of new and bizarre, opening up a whole portion of his mental map that had been previously marked 'unexplored,' and now he had to go and chart new courses.

Sokka looked at Zuko again, lying on the floor with a cat kneading into his back and his hair in his face and those brown-gold eyes trained on Sokka's expression with that warm intensity. Yep, that was the person he loved right there.

"I dunno," Sokka said, squishing down into the couch more. "Do I really wanna go to Pirta and not see you for like four days and be alone with my family? Am I supposed to invite you to come with? Are we supposed to do our own thing at this point? How's any of this work?"

Zuko chuckled and shifted to prop his chin on his hands.

"You think _I_ know?" he said. "What do you _wanna_ do?"

Sokka rubbed little circles into Lucky's shoulders, watching the cat instead of looking at Zuko, who he could still feel watching him. 

"I wanna hang out with you," Sokka admitted quietly, knowing he sounded a little bit like a whiny child.

"Then let's hang out," Zuko said, the way he always said things like that--like it could just be stated and it would work and no planning was needed. 

It was nice, though, those moments when Zuko was so sure, just ready to do things and do the actual 'figuring it out' later. 

Of course, it was also _annoying_ because the 'figuring it out' typically tended to fall to Sokka.

"So, what?" Sokka said, looking aside at him. "You wanna come to Pirta for Christmas?"

Zuko's lips quirked in a smile. "Yeah, why not?"

Sokka snorted. "Well sure. Why not? But what about your family?"

"There's two of them and they don’t care a ton about if it’s specifically ‘Christmas’ or not," Zuko reminded, finally shifting to get Dragon off his back so he could sit up and face Sokka. "Pretty sure the schedule’s flexible and can work around yours." He rubbed his hair out of his face. "You wanna come to that too?"

"With your uncle and Azula?" Sokka asked.

"You totally don't have to," Zuko said quickly. "I just figured--"

"No! I want to!" Sokka said immediately, pulling Lucky up closer to his face. "I just didn't know if I was invited."

"You are," Zuko said with a smile. "At least, I'm inviting you right now and Uncle'd love it I'm sure." He cocked his head. "Azula will probably be a trial about it, but she's Azula, so…"

He shrugged and leaned back on his hands, and Dragon went for the new free real estate of his lap, curling up pleasantly in the circle of his legs.

Sokka stared at the pair of them.

"You really wanna do the holidays together?" he asked. "We're… at that point?"

"You keep talking about this relationship like there's some script we're supposed to be following," Zuko replied with a crooked sort of grin. "And I guess I'm more of a 'I do what I want - fuck around and find out' sorta guy. So you wanna do two weird family Christmases with me or not?"

Sokka moved Lucky out of his lap and headed to the floor too, sitting cross-legged in front of Zuko too.

"Hell yeah I do," he said and leaned forward and kissed him.

They could deal with the plan later.

\- Zuko's Family - 

Uncle Iroh's loft above the Jasmine Dragon was as cozy as the tea shop below but considerably more cluttered with knickknacks and decor and extra furniture. There was a small Christmas tree by the window in the living room, and four places had been set at the round dining room table, complete with red and green placemats and candles as a centerpiece. There were definitely still influences of his Chinese heritage throughout the house in the decorations and art, but there was also a clear attempt at a traditional, old-school American Christmas. Sokka wasn't entirely sure _why_ , but it was sweet regardless.

Azula was already there when they arrived, sitting primly and sipping tea in a stiff-looking red and black dress that seemed much more like she was going to a business cocktail party than that she was having a cozy family dinner. Zuko and Sokka had both opted for sweaters and jeans, which matched Iroh's aesthetic a bit more, as did their bright colored gift bags and tins of cookies (store bought, because they'd almost burned down Sokka's kitchen on their first baking attempt). Iroh was similarly cozy and seasonal, and he hugged them both as soon as they got inside, his grip warm and decidedly Santa-ish. Azula offered no such hug, but at least she was somewhat polite as she said hello and asked how they were. She was only moderately disparaging about Sokka's job and even less about Zuko's, so that was something.

Dinner was friendly and a bit formal with the four of them around the table, and there was a lot of tea again, which Sokka could have done without. But at least it was less tense than the first time they'd all met. Iroh was positively _jolly_ , Azula only made the occasional cutting or dismissive comment, and Sokka could openly be affectionate toward Zuko without having to pretend. They talked about work and Iroh's business and holiday specials and things happening around town, and Zuko and Azula even made cordial conversation and referenced a few childhood holiday memories that were pleasant ("Remember when Mom would make us cocoa and we'd all sit in pajamas by the fire?" "Remember the Christmas she made us wear matching reindeer socks?"), even if Christmas for them as kids had been more about the outward show than real celebration. It was still good to know there were some pleasant memories in there, that Zuko and Azula didn't only know how to claw and fight to survive. Iroh smiled at both of them, and Sokka sat back and watched Zuko actually get to have a nice time with his family.

Their dad wasn't mentioned at all.

After dinner, there was pie and more tea ("Not coffee? Cocoa? Eggnog?" Sokka had whined later, and Zuko had just laughed at him) and then time to exchange gifts. It was all very carefully orchestrated as they sat on Iroh's plush couches and chairs, passing out presents and taking turns opening them. Compared to Sokka's expectations of family Christmases, it was subdued and polite and quiet, classic holiday music coming out of a record player and everyone being methodical and calm. But it was nice too, warm and intimate in its own way, and every time Sokka looked over at Zuko, smiling and relaxed, his heart swelled a little. 

They played pai sho, which Sokka had to learn by mostly guessing, and Zuko and Azula actually talked about their mutual friends from back in the day, Azula slouching just a little on the couch and Zuko leaning his back against the arm with one leg pulled up in front of him. Much to Sokka's surprise, Azula actually agreed to stay at Zuko's apartment and watch the cats while they were in Pirta, and she only said it a little bit like it was a massive favor she was begrudgingly doing them. Then there was more tea and more pie and being subjected to far too many pictures that Iroh took on his ancient flip-phone. Sokka took a few of just the uncle and his niece and nephew, crowded together in front of the Christmas tree. Zuko was stiff and Azula looked vaguely annoyed and Iroh was smiling proudly from the middle, but somehow that was right too. It was awkward in the way family was _meant_ to be awkward, in a way that was underscored with actually caring about each other. 

He'd also wrangled the other three into a selfie that managed to get all their faces into it. It was a bit oddly angled, Zuko's face propped on Sokka's shoulder as he smiled and held out the camera, Azula pulled into the middle by Iroh, who looked around her other side. But all four were smiling at least a little, a bit of the tree behind them. 

Before Sokka gave the phone back to Iroh, he definitely stealth-texted a few of the pictures to Zuko's number. When Zuko opened the text later, he'd actually stared at them in something like amazement, proof of a happy family Christmas. But the one of the four of them, odd angle and all, did end up eventually framed next to the picture of him and his uncle on top of his bookshelf. 

At the end of the night, everyone got more hugs, although Azula refrained from being involved in any of it. She did accept the spare keys from Zuko and rolled her eyes at the additional reminder to read the directions he'd leave her. But when he'd carefully pulled her in for a hug too, gingerly allowing space for her to pull away, she'd actually accepted. It was tense and short-lived but still a hug, and even that amount of physical affection between the siblings was basically a Christmas miracle. 

"Thanks again," Zuko said quietly, and Azula gave him another of her exasperated looks. 

"It's not a big deal, Zuzu. You're always so dramatic," she said, but she did give him a slim smile.

Sokka did not attempt a hug, but he did make a very gentle joke at her expense and she didn't threaten to kill him, so clearly they were on good terms too. All this done, they finally headed for the door.

When they got outside, it was dark and starting to snow, and Zuko knitted up his hand with Sokka's as they walked to the car.

"Thank you for being here," he murmured, smiling even with the redness from the cold coming to his cheeks.

"Thanks for inviting me," Sokka said, pulling him closer. "So that was a good winter whatever-it-was with your family?"

Zuko shot him a warm smile. "Honestly? Best I've ever had."

\- Sokka's Family - 

At least this time they were able to just crash in Katara and Aang's new house in their extra bedroom in the basement. It was freezing, of course, because it was an ancient little house, but that just meant more excuses for cuddling and piling up tons of blankets and having a cozy nest to fool around in. Which also meant that when Aang walked in on Sokka and Zuko mid adult activity, all he could see were blankets moving and the bare tops of Sokka's shoulders before yelping and slamming the door shut. Of course, once everyone had emerged fully clothed and not making eye contact, Katara had smacked Sokka in the arm and said something about it being "three in the afternoon and you're about to go to a family Christmas--what's wrong with you?" To which Sokka had just gestured to a red-faced Zuko and said back to her, "Well, you wanted me to be in love! This is what you get!"

Luckily, the rest of the massive family Christmas was quite normal by his family standards. There were about seventy of them jam-packed in and around Gran Gran's house, which was a pretty small percentage of Sokka's family, and the house was full to bursting with crock pots and trays of holiday treats and mugs of eggnog and multigenerational holiday decor from a wide range of ethnic traditions. Almost everyone was in a gaudy Christmas sweater, the uglier the better, and many of the kids had jingle bells attached to their wrists or in their hair, which kept the whole place constantly noisy. Zuko looked slightly terrified the whole time, although he covered it well and stayed near people he knew. It was a little funny to Sokka that he was now the Azula, overdressed in his trousers and button-up while everyone else looked like they'd emerged from dumpsters full of tacky holiday decor. 

Mostly, Sokka loved that now he could openly touch him, flirt with him, show him off to cousins and family friends, and no one was pretending. 

Gran Gran was thrilled to see Zuko again, immediately pulling him into a tight hug while her head barely skimmed his chest. He returned the hug awkwardly and politely responded to her questions about his job and asked her about how she'd been as well. At that, she clearly decided he was her new favorite and told him all about her most recent projects and the feud she was in with a woman in her quilting circle and then asked, a bit tartly, if Sokka was treating him well enough. Sokka took offense at that, and she just jabbed him in the arm and asked why he was letting his boyfriend get so skinny then, hmmm? Which led to her plying Zuko with food and promising to box him up some treats to take home. She also then made a number of less than subtle comments about "getting Sokka to settle down” (to Zuko) and "not losing out on a good one, dear” (to Sokka), which both men managed to deflect. Otherwise, most of the rest of the older generation ignored both of them completely, which was perfectly fine. They had Katara and Aang there and other cousins and relatives around their age who were excited to chat and share stories and tell bad jokes.

Sokka did lose track of Zuko at one point, which made him a little worried about a repeat of some of the awkward wedding conversations. Instead, he found him crouched down with a cluster of kids obviously fascinated by him because he was _new_ and _different_. They seemed to be trying to simultaneously explain to him the rules for a game they were making up and tell him about the things they wanted from Santa for Christmas. To Sokka's amazement, he was nodding and smiling and being surprisingly amenable to being shown their toys and told in rambling depth about their current hype fixations.

That last bit might have been unintentionally trained into him by being around Sokka so much. 

"So this looks fun," Sokka said as he approached and crouched down too. "Did you all steal Zuko from me?"

One of his little cousins (probably numbered or removed in some way but who remembers that?), a four-year-old girl named Ila, actually did glob onto Zuko's arm then. It made him jump, and she announced, "He's my boyfriend now!"

"Oh he is, huh?" Sokka said, raising an eyebrow and grinning at Zuko.

Zuko just laughed and told her kindly, "Sorry, Ila. I'm already Sokka's boyfriend."

Ila pouted. "That's not fair! Why's he get you?"

Zuko looked over and met Sokka's eyes. "Oh I don't know. I guess I just love him or something."

Sokka shot him a wink but accepted his boyfriend's very clingy new "girlfriend" being scooped and carried around by him for a while as she asked him a whole bunch of questions and told him all about what her life would be like once she was all grown up. Zuko listened and nodded and revealed a truly impressive level of patience and indulgence which only ended when everyone was called to dinner and Ila's mom (Sokka's aunt or great aunt or second cousin or something?) came looking for her child. She seemed slightly baffled to have found her with a tall, unknown Asian man, but she took Ila back and told her politely to say goodbye. Zuko waved back as Ila was carried off again, and Sokka shot him a fond look. 

"What's that face?" Zuko said, back to grumbly with him, which was oddly adorable.

"Just you and little kids," Sokka replied. "Who knew how cute you were?" And Zuko just huffed and crossed his arms and pretended there was no pink blooming on his ears. 

Dinner here was haphazard and disorganized and just everyone eating off paper plates while standing or sitting wherever they'd fit. Everything was heavy and hearty and meant to help you survive a long, cold winter, and Zuko finally did have to tell Gran Gran that he really couldn't eat any more. Then there was a White Elephant gift exchange, which led to a lot of yelling and laughing and general chaos, and Sokka, while he lingered off to the side with Zuko, tried to explain what the hell was happening and why grown adults were fighting with children over partially unwrapped presents. 

There was no formal dessert or coffee hour, although there was more dessert than even seventy people could eat, and there was actually coffee along with eggnog and cider and spiked cocoa drinks that were making many of the adults extra loud. Then once it started getting late, there were hugs and very long Midwest goodbyes (the ones where you lingered by the door holding the handle and continued the conversation for at least another twenty minutes) and then _finally_ they were outside with Katara and Aang and headed toward the car. 

"I don't think I've been hugged that much," Zuko said as they walked, sounding stunned, "in my entire life."

"Then you need one more!" Aang announced, launching himself at Zuko and wrapping around him.

"No more eggnog for Aang!" Sokka announced. "Katara! Control your husband!"

But Katara just laughed unhelpfully and unlocked the car and allowed Zuko to hobble back through the snow with Aang still attached to his side.

Sokka and Zuko spent a little while the night of Christmas Eve just snuggled up under a pile of quilts and laughing at the update texts from Azula. She had sent one absolutely (unintentionally) hysterical picture of herself with a cat on her shoulder with his paw on top of her head while the other cat was curled upside down in her lap. Azula's face was pinched with annoyance, but she'd sent the picture anyway. And she'd apparently been taking good care of the cats, who clearly liked her. Zuko shook his head, saved the picture, and finally set his phone aside and snuggled down next to Sokka again. 

"I've got an actual sister," he muttered like it surprised him. "A sister who sends me pics and _watches my cats_ for me."

Sokka smiled and kissed his forehead.

"Yeah you do," he said. "You've got a family that loves you--including my Gran Gran, who's seriously gonna adopt you at any moment," he added with a snort, and Zuko chuckled too. 

"And, you know, including me," Sokka finished, and Zuko sighed and apparently had enough hugs left in him to wrap himself around Sokka to sleep his way to Christmas day.

Sokka did wake up alone Christmas morning, which was odd, and padded upstairs following the smell of coffee and food and the sound of holiday music on the radio. The source of this turned out to be his sister and his boyfriend making breakfast. Zuko had been relegated to chopping veggies for omelets since Katara, somewhat rightly, didn't trust him around the stove, while she did everything else. They were having some pleasantly horrifying conversation about a child with a pencil stuck in his eye and acting like this was perfectly normal behavior. Just them, together in Katara's tiny kitchen on Christmas morning making food and being disgustingly casual about medical injuries. They were also both still in pajamas and Katara was in fluffy slippers and the snow outside was bringing extra light in through the windows, and it was equal parts weird and idyllic.

Sokka leaned on the doorway a moment and watched them, struck by an intense swell of love. Finally he approached, stole a raw bit of mushroom off the cutting board, and wrapped his arms around Zuko's middle from behind. 

"Good morning," he murmured, kissing the side of Zuko's neck. "What the hell is happening in here?"

"Stop distracting my sous chef!" Katara announced, gesturing with a spatula. "If you're in here, you have to help."

So Sokka helped too, and they ate breakfast once Aang got back in from shoveling snow and had a lazy morning in preparation for the smaller family Christmas that afternoon.

That event was at least more calm and less loud, which was probably good for the still slightly overwhelmed Zuko. It was at Hakoda's house, with everyone arranged in the living room around the fire on the worn, mismatched furniture. There was a rowdier gift exchange and more of Gran Gran's snacks (and her comments, but by now both Sokka and Zuko were used to it) and _Rudolph_ playing on the TV in the background and a fire burning under the mantle. It was homey and familiar, but it was only as Zuko was unwrapping a gift of hand knitted socks from Gran Gran that Sokka had the strange realization that this was the first time he'd ever really had someone to bring home for Christmas.

Once it started getting dark, Sokka reached out and took Zuko's hand, giving him an excited squeeze. Zuko looked confused as they all bundled up in coats and gathered blankets and thermoses and headed outside, but Sokka just tugged him along and smiled as they headed back into the cold and crunched through the snow. It was luckily a short walk to the park, although Zuko tucked himself tightly into his coat and attached himself to Sokka's side.

"Do we end Christmas by freezing to death?" he muttered.

"Nope. Much more fun than that," Sokka said, throwing an arm around his shoulder.

The sleigh was waiting next to a copse of trees not far from the frozen pond in the middle of the park, the two massive Clydesdales decked out in their jingle-bell covered harnesses. The driver, who they all still just called "Grandpa Jim" regardless of age and relation, must have been pushing one hundred by now, but he still waved as they approached and motioned for then to climb in. Sokka shot Zuko a smile as they walked, watching his expression as he took in the stamping horses and red cushioned seats in the sleigh and the soft snowy whiteness of the park just lit up by scattered lamp posts.

Sokka had been taking these Christmas sleigh rides since his mom had still been around and could hold both him and Katara in her lap with a thick blanket around all three of them. He remembered looking up at the stars and watching for anything twinkling that could possibly be Santa heading back to the north pole again, and his mom had let him chatter away and just kissed him on the top of the head. And even after their mom had passed, their dad and Gran Gran had made sure the sleigh ride continued every year, even if it was now someone else cuddling them or Sokka holding a small Katara in his lap and pointing out the stars and satellites that could be Santa. It was always how they ended the holiday, bundled up against the cold and occasionally joining Grandpa Jim as he muttered Christmas carols while he drove and passing around shared mugs of hot drinks. As he'd gotten older, a little part of Sokka had watched with a bit of jealousy as cousins and family members brought along significant others. He'd tried not to notice them sharing blankets and cuddling up together and stealing kisses (because wanting that _definitely_ wasn't manly) because he did love the holidays with his family. He loved sharing a mug of cider with Gran Gran and teasing Katara (especially once she started bringing Aang along) and listening to his dad sing and kicking his cousins under the blankets, but there was something to the idea of having someone for himself. Someone he liked and trusted enough to share this odd little intimacy with

And that person, for whatever reason, was now packing himself into the sleight right next to Sokka and grabbing his arm to demand cuddles against the cold and glaring petulantly out at the snow. Zuko did relax and look less owly once Sokka accepted that he would be loaning his warmth and once the sleigh actually started off through the snow. Then he leaned into Sokka's chest and watched the park go by and, without prompting, tipped his head back to look up at the clear sky just like Sokka had been doing for as long as he could remember. Sokka knew there were other people tucked into the sleigh too, spreading out blankets and passing around mugs, but Sokka was really only thinking about Zuko, his face pink with cold, his dark hair sticking out from under his hood, and his lips parted as he looked up. Zuko had a slim smile on his face, backlit by snow and trees and the cluster of Sokka's family, and god Sokka was gone on him.

He leaned forward before he thought it through, caught his face, and kissed him. Zuko actually tensed for a moment in surprise but then softened, brought up a hand to loop around Sokka's neck, and kissed him back.

"Ok you two!" Katara said, kicking at Sokka's knees. "There are kids here! Keep it together!"

Sokka grinned into the kiss and then drew back, as a few little cousins continued to yell "ew!" in high-pitched voices and some of the older relatives laughed. Zuko's face was a little red, but also soft and fond in that way it sometimes got, and Sokka figured it was worth it. So he stole one more quick, strong kiss as Katara kicked him again and the little kids giggled and the sleigh continued to glide along the snow. Zuko found his free hand, gloves and all, and folded them together.

"Thanks for inviting me to this," he murmured, lips lifted and cheeks still pink, and somehow, everything was incredibly, exactly how it should be.

\- Just Sokka and Zuko - 

Two days after Christmas when they were back safely in Sokka's apartment, with no overbearing relatives and no noise except a snoring dog next to the couch, Sokka and Zuko finally exchanged their own presents. They were both flopped on the couch in casual clothes, the apartment feeling incredibly quiet after all the hubbub of Pirta, and Sokka tucked his toes under Zuko's leg and nervously held his present. It was a shoebox that he'd somewhat aggressively wrapped in blue and white paper, while Zuko just had a gift bag filled with tissue paper. 

"Ok, but you start," Sokka said as he passed the box to Zuko, who raised an eyebrow and looked over the present.

"This looks like it was wrapped by a bear on PCP," Zuko said, clawing at a large chunk of tape on the side.

"Thank you," Sokka replied, grinning.

It took a lot of prying and finally grabbing a kitchen knife to actually get the box open. But then Zuko smiled as he pulled out a very thick, very fluffy scarf in black and grey checks.

"Because I hate the cold?" he asked.

"Because you never stop bitching about the cold," Sokka corrected, and Zuko rolled his eyes and looped the scarf around his neck.

"Damn it's warm!" he announced, running his hands over it.

"So no more bitching," Sokka said with a smile as he adjusted the scarf on Zuko's shoulders.

"Seriously, I love it," Zuko said, tucking his face down into it, looking pleased. 

"Good," Sokka replied, "but there's more." He poked the box still in Zuko's lap.

"Sokka…" Zuko said in a low, embarrassed sort of voice.

"Oh it's not that much, relax," Sokka said and poked the box again.

Wrapped up in a layer of paper was a silver travel coffee mug that said in blue letters "Hello I'm Your EMT. What Stupid Thing Did You Do?", and Zuko actually burst out laughing as soon as he saw it. 

"Very you, right?" Sokka said, watching Zuko laugh with a stupid amount of happiness.

"Absolutely," Zuko replied. "This has to come to work with me, because Nick'll lose his mind. We joke about wanting to say stuff like this to people all the time!" He pulled Sokka into a slightly awkward seated hug. "Thank you."

"Happy non-denominational winter holiday," Sokka replied into his neck.

"You too," Zuko said with a chuckle, drawing back. "Now open yours."

Sokka opened the bag and rifled through the tissue paper. "I see you didn't even _try_ wrapping your gift."

"God no. You think I know how to wrap presents?"

With enough paper pulled out of the way, Sokka revealed a sturdy rubber frisbee with an envelope taped to it. He grinned and pulled it out.

"Aww, you got a present for Boomerang!" Sokka said fondly, and Zuko just smiled.

"I figured you should probably have a backup in case next time I can't get it out of the tree," he replied as Boomerang himself approached with interest and sniffed the air.

"Well thank you," Sokka said, grinning again and undoing the envelope from off the frisbee so he could hold the toy out for Boomerang to sniff, his tail wagging.

"Open the envelope too," Zuko said, looking some odd combination of nervous and excited that Sokka didn't entirely understand.

Sokka shot him a quizzical look and tore the envelope open to reveal a card with a simple Christmas tree on the front. Within was a short note in Zuko's spiky handwriting along with a folded up receipt for a--

"You're taking us to a _cabin_?" Sokka said, looking up at him, and Zuko smiled. "Really? That's--what--that's too much!"

Zuko shrugged. "I wanted to, so fuck it."

"I mean, I could pay for part of it," Sokka offered.

"I don't spend money on anything but coffee and gas," Zuko said with a grin, "so when I feel like splurging, I do. And I'm coming too, obviously, so, yeah, I got a weekend specifically off so we could go and just, you know, do cute outdoor winter couple shit." He then turned just a little pink, which Sokka found wildly endearing.

"But…" Sokka said, bewildered and thrilled, "you _hate_ winter. And the outdoors. And, you know, all of that."

"Yeah but _you_ like those things," Zuko said, "and I like _you_ so…"

Sokka threw his arms around Zuko's neck immediately and squeezed.

"So you like it?" Zuko asked, like somehow he wasn't sure.

"I _love it_ , you dork," Sokka replied.

"Ok good," Zuko replied, hooking his hands around Sokka too.

"Will you have a snowball fight with me?" Sokka asked into the scarf still around Zuko's neck, and the other man chuckled. 

"Fine," he replied.

"What about going stargazing?"

Zuko sighed. "That sounds horribly cold but _yes_."

"How about hiking?"

"I need to buy a full parka and snow boots for this trip, don't I?" Zuko said with a grunt, and Sokka just chuckled and drew back.

"At least you've got a good scarf now."

"There is that."

"Also, does the cabin have a fireplace?" Sokka asked, imagining considerably _warmer_ things they could do together.

Zuko cocked an eyebrow. "I think so?"

"With a bearskin rug in front of it?" Sokka cocked his head, and Zuko chuckled.

"I doubt that part," he replied, "but I get where you're going with this…"

"Throwing down a blanket and going at it in front of a roaring fire?" Sokka supplied, and Zuko laughed.

"Ok, that bit I'm _all_ for," Zuko said. "So happy nondenominational winter holiday to you too."

"God you're the best," Sokka said, feeling incredibly warm and almost unfairly happy. "So when do we leave?"

\- The Cabin - 

Zuko had been true to his word and followed Sokka around outside as they meandered trails through the pines and around the frozen lake, built a snowman and threw snowballs at each other (although Sokka was considerably less mean and competitive about it than he could have been) and finally stood together under the clear and brilliant night sky to look at the stars. They were further north, away from civilization except for other rentable cabins, and the air was still and sharp with cold, which meant the stars were brilliant and took over the whole sky. Sokka could have stood there for ages, just hoping the day didn't actually end.

He’d loved it all, being bundled up in a thick parka and heavy boots and tramping through snow. He loved the piercing blue of the sky during the day and the sun glinting off the ice, the way the air burned in his nose and smelled like pine and cold. He loved the crunching underfoot and the dark green trees drooping with snow and the soft yellow light coming from within the cabin through the windows. He loved the sunset over the trees and the way the stars and moon emerged. Most of all, though, he loved the man wrapped up in as many layers as possible who stuck by his side and watched him with a sweet, indulgent expression from within the heavy fleece of the hood pulled over his head.

"You ready to go inside?" Sokka said with a smile. 

"Whenever you are," Zuko said, tucked into himself. "This is _your_ Christmas present, so I want you to be happy."

Sokka pulled Zuko into a hug. "I _am_ happy," he said. "You know how happy you make me, right?"

"I hope so," Zuko replied with a smile, "because you make me really happy too."

"Good!" Sokka let him go and extended a mittened hand, which Zuko accepted. "Come on, snow bunny."

Zuko huffed. "Not a bunny."

"Of course you're not," Sokka said and hauled Zuko through the snow toward the front door of their little cabin.

The interior was cozy, all wood and stone and piles of pillows, and did have a wood burning fireplace and a queen sized bed and the other little homey touches needed. There was no bearskin rug, but neither man complained as they struggled out of their winter clothes and dumped everything on the floor. Zuko then immediately grabbed the fleece blanket off the end of the bed and wrapped it around his shoulders. Sokka laughed and went to catch him around the middle and tug him close. Zuko chuckled and shifted the blanket so it was around both of them. 

"You're adorable, you know that?" Sokka said, nuzzling Zuko's cold nose.

"I'm a grown man," Zuko grumbled. "I can't be _adorable_."

"Of course you can," Sokka argued and kissed him, "and you totally are."

Zuko rolled his eyes but didn't argue as Sokka untangled them so he could get a fire going to heat the cabin up even more. Zuko kept the blanket around him as he went snooping in the cupboards for snacks and then came to join Sokka once the fire was started. They snuggled up in front of it, warm and relaxed, and time passed slowly. 

"Can't believe you did this for me," Sokka murmured as he leaned his head into Zuko's shoulder.

"Yeah, it's almost like I'm dating you and it was Christmas," Zuko replied.

Sokka shoved his side. "You know what I mean! Don't try to pretend now that you aren't a sweet, dopey romantic."

"Slander," Zuko replied and kissed him hard enough that Sokka completely forgot what they'd been talking about.

Later that night, Sokka took the opportunity to watch the dying fire from a warm bed with Zuko's head on his shoulder and his hand drifting back and forth across his chest. Sokka let out a long, contented sigh and looked aside at Zuko, who looked similarly content, his face lit by the fading orange light in the room.

"Hey," Sokka murmured, catching his attention, "I love you."

Zuko's lips lifted in a smile. "Still catches me a little by surprise whenever you say that," he admitted softly.

Sokka shifted closer to him. "Yeah, well, I do. Love you, I mean. A lot."

"Now who's the dopey romantic?" Zuko muttered back.

"Obviously I am," Sokka replied, "but I love you and you have to deal with it."

"Oh well I see how it is," Zuko replied, rolling a little so he could kiss him. "Good thing I love you too."

Sokka sighed into another kiss and pulled Zuko even closer, and the world remained, for a little while longer, snowy and quiet and far away.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed some cute and happy fluff after the previous relationship drama. I'm always so wildly excited to chat with anyone, so please feel free to comment or to hop over and talk with me on tumblr if you'd like: onmyliteraturebullshitagain


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